Mike Omeri
Introduction: A Region in Decline
Arewa—Northern Nigeria — once the epicenter of political power and military dominance, is now the tragic portrait of strategic betrayal and internal collapse. The decay is not a mystery, and the culprits are not hiding. They attend our naming ceremonies. They sit on our emirs’ front rows. They preach in our mosques. And we, the people, vote them in.
We have turned our own ballots into bullets—not aimed at enemies, but at our future. The greatest irony of the Arewa condition is simple: the enemy we cry about is the one we built, the one we fed, the one we elected.
The Architecture of Our Undoing
1. Political Power, Wasted Decades
Northern Nigeria has produced more presidents, military rulers, ministers, and legislators than any other region. Yet:
Poverty in Sokoto, Zamfara, Kebbi, Yobe, Jigawa, and Katsina is record-breaking.
Our children still roam barefoot, clutching rusty bowls, begging as Almajirai.
Bandits control forests, while the governed remain helpless.
Decades of political supremacy brought no transformation. Only more excuses. More commissions. More convoy culture. They electrified their homes and electrocuted our hopes.
2. Religion as a Weapon, Not a Light
Our leaders discovered long ago that quoting the Qur’an is easier than building schools. That crying “Islamic values” is more effective than delivering roads, water, or safety.
They turned religion into a sleeping pill, and tribalism into a leash. Every sermon is about patience. Every campaign is about “one of us.” But when elected, they rule like Pharaoh—distant, deaf, and drunk on federal allocations.
3. An Economy of Dependency and Begging
Despite holding massive agricultural and mineral wealth, the North remains an economic beggar, totally dependent on:
Crude oil revenue from the South.
Monthly FAAC allocations.
UN and NGO food intervention
Why? Because our own leaders never prioritized education, innovation, or industrialization. We built nothing. We waited for everything.
Why the South Surged While We Sank
While we burned tires to protest religious cartoons, the South opened tech hubs.
While we shared money at weddings, the South built media houses and software parks.
While we blamed conspiracies, the South negotiated power blocs and foreign investments.
They outpaced us—not through favoritism—but through planning.
We betrayed ourselves—not through bad luck—but through stupidity.
Who Are Our Real Oppressors?
It’s not Tinubu. It’s not Igbos. It’s not Christians.
It is the northern politician in designer agbada who:
Sends his kids to London while yours rots in an almajiri den.
Steals constituency funds and hides them in Dubai.
Declares sharia law while laundering money through forex.
These are not leaders. They are licensed looters in kaftan.
They have been elected, re-elected, promoted, and worshipped.
They are our electrocuters. We gave them the switch.
What Must Be Done Now
1. Mass Political Re-Orientation
The North must rise with a new generation of thinkers, not sycophants. Let our mosques and palaces stop enabling betrayal.
2. Electoral Accountability
Any politician who cannot:
Debate in public,
Show audited results,
Engage youth and explain budget, must be voted out, permanently.
3. Regional Restructuring and Economic Independence
Let Arewa:
Build power from solar and hydro.
Farm industrial-scale grains and cotton.
Train our youth in coding and digital skills.
Abandon old gods of patronage.
Conclusion: The Time Is Now
We have cried enough.
We have blamed others long enough.
We have died silently for too long.
Let Arewa rise. Not by power. Not by sentiment. But by sanity.
Our children deserve more than blood-stained streets and blackened hopes.
The future is a mirror—and in it, we now see the enemy clearly.
It is not far. It is not foreign. It is familiar. It is us.
Let us change that reflection—before the mirror cracks for good.
Dahiru Yusuf Yabo is a former Gubernatorial Candidate, seasoned policy thinker, national security commentator, and publisher of Yabo International Magazine. He writes from Sokoto.
